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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. branch — a division
  9. charge — electricity
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bound — tied together
  12. drill — army training
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — certain
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — for betting
  17. charge — a price
  18. chip — to eat
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bound — obliged
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com